Chris Paul's Drama with the Clippers Is Past the Point of Reconciliation

Chris Paul wants to stay in L.A., but so far, the Clippers have made it hard.Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Chris Paul has once again found himself in the midst of the NBA's swirling whirlpool of offseason drama. The Los Angeles Clippers have gone after Paul's preference for their next head coach in Doc Rivers, but it appears that talks have broken down again between the Clippers and Celtics, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

Now that it appears Paul won't get to play with or for any Boston Celtics, the Clips are continuing their hunt for a head coach whom their superstar point guard will want to play for, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine. And not just one he'll play for but one whom he'll want to play for bad enough that he'll sign a new deal to stay in L.A. for years to come.

As the rumors continue to swirl and teams continue to pursue the exceptional point guard, the disconnect between the Clippers and Paul grows every passing day. As Paul works toward the perfect situation, the Clippers continue to use all of their resources in an attempt to make him happy and keep him around, which takes time away from all of their other potential deals.

Meanwhile, now that talks have broken down with the Celtics, Paul can't be too happy with nothing changing.

There's no way for either party to win unless a deal gets done.

With Paul and Dwight Howardreportedly in cahoots, according to Broussard, it seems like Paul is really pulling for something huge to happen if he's going to stay in L.A., whether that means signing Dwight Howard or another big name or finding a coach Paul really wants to play for.

As deals continue to pop up in the rumor mill and get shot down, it has to be taking its toll on the relationship between Paul and his organization. After the main deal(s) with the Celtics fell through, there isn't anything huge left for the Clippers to go after except Dwight Howard, which would require a sign-and-trade with the Lakers, which seems pretty unlikely and maybe even impossible.

Paul was extremely interested in playing for Doc Rivers, and as the Clippers continue searching for a new head coach and with the Lakers uninterested in a sign-and-trade deal for Howard, it seems like Paul will either head to Dallas to play with an elite core and great head coach or he'll stay in L.A.—unhappy.

Even if Paul does stay in L.A., which seems most likely at the moment, it doesn't mean he'll be happy. And while Paul isn't really the kind of guy you'd expect not to try hard because he doesn't like the situation, if the Clippers continue to whiff on deals, anything can happen.

Out of all of this, one thing remains clear: The Clippers better find a way to make their superstar happy, if they haven't already lost his support entirely.